Nov. 6--A small intimate group gathered Thursday night in front of the Cabarrus County Government Center for a candlelight vigil to honor and remember family members and friends who have been affected by Alzheimer's disease or a related form of dementia. The event was also a time to celebrate family caregivers.

November is National Alzheimer's Disease Awareness Month and Family Caregiver Month.

Events like the candlelight vigil in Concord were held in conjunction with other similar events around North Carolina at the same time.

While the gathering was small, each participant had a personal reason or story to share.

Michael Thompson, a Social Work Intern from UNC Charlotte, and Cyndi Smart, a Caregiver Support Specialist from the Cabarrus County Department of Aging and Senior Centers, helped organize the event.

"We want to remember them and care about them," Smart said.

For Thompson, the event touched on a personal experience with dementia.

"My wife's grandmother has Alzheimer's. She is at the beginning stages," Thompson said.

Concord resident, Ann Steele, sang an inspirational song for the crowd.

Steele and her cousin Melanie Stowe also have a family connection to Alzheimer's disease.

"My mother-in-law died of Alzheimer's last year, in October. I helped care for her. She had it for two years. She just went down dramatically in the last year. Her husband just wanted to do for her. They had been married for 49 years, and he couldn't accept outsiders coming in to care for her, only family members," Stowe said.

Alzheimer's disease and other types of dementia affect 5.3 million people in the United States, according to the Alzheimer's Association. Every 70 seconds someone develops the disease, the association's Web site reports. It is the seventh leading cause of death in the United States.

The Alzheimer's Association reports that in North Carolina, 1.7 million adults are caring for an older person. That is 28 percent of the adult population.

They also state that 40 percent of the caregivers in North Carolina take care of someone with a memory disorder like Alzheimer's disease.

"We want to honor them and give them a voice," Margaret Moody, from the Alzheimer's Association Western Carolina Chapter, said.

Contact reporter Robin L. Gardner: 704-789-9140

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Copyright (c) 2009, Independent Tribune, Concord, N.C.

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